'I wanted to play for him': Loh Kean Yew missed birth of first child to prepare for Paris Olympics

PARIS – Unknown to many, except those closest to him, Singapore badminton player Loh Kean Yew was preparing for the Paris 2024 with extra concern and motivation – the 27-year-old was about to be playing at his second Olympics as a father for the first time.

In late July, his wife gave birth to a boy while Loh was in Denmark for a training camp to prepare for the Summer Games.

His first emotion was that of guilt as he was asleep when his mother-in-law texted him the good news and photos of the healthy baby. But after that, he “couldn’t stop smiling”, he told The Straits Times on Aug 7, the same day he announced for the first time details about his son.

Loh added: “I was concerned because I was preparing for the Olympics and I couldn’t be with my wife when she was going to deliver. But we had planned for this, and I’m grateful that she has been very understanding.

“We discussed various scenarios, including if she gave birth during my competition, she would not let me know because she wanted to let me focus. In the end, it was good that she delivered before the Olympics started, so I don’t have to worry that much. I became more motivated and wanted to play for him.”

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At Tokyo 2020, Loh was eliminated at the group stage. But in Paris, Loh eased through the men’s singles group stage and played brilliantly to beat China’s world No. 6 Li Shifeng in the round of 16.

While he eventually lost to eventual champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the quarter-finals, he equalled the best result by any Singaporean at the Olympics. Previously, Ronald Susilo (men’s singles, Athens 2004) and Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia (women’s doubles, Beijing 2008) also reached the last eight.

Loh flew from Paris to Penang via Singapore on Aug 5 to see his wife and newborn.

Asked if he is ready for fatherhood and if his pal Axelsen, who has two daughters, had any parenting tips for him while on tour, the world No 12 laughed and said: “Viktor used to be the only father among the players and he would joke and ask me to hurry and have a kid.

“It’s a new phase but I think everything is going to be the same and I’m still going to compete. It’s just that now, I have someone else to play for.”

Known to be jovial but tight-lipped about his private life, Loh only revealed on Christmas Eve 2023 that he had gotten married in the first quarter of the year. He posted four pictures of his wedding proposal set against the backdrop of Marina Bay Sands with the caption: “Last year today, she said yes.”

A day later, he shared three of his wedding photos at what appeared to be the Musee Rodin in Paris, to celebrate their “ROM anniversary in about 2months”.

He did not post any frontal views of his wife and declined to reveal further details. But he told The Straits Times then: “This is a big milestone in our lives. I’m thankful for her understanding about my busy schedule and the sacrifices she has to make.”

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.